Ugly Advice – S#!t Happens

This post is less advice and more of an excuse to talk about a baking story with a moral.

Now, I love to bake and I think I’m pretty good at it but sometimes things go…less than optimally.

A couple of years ago I was making something – I don’t even remember what it was and it’s not important because whatever it was, was completely ruined.

The dessert had to be broiled so I put the oven rack on the top setting, turned the oven to broil (meaning it’s super-hot) and let ‘er rip. Problem – I put the cookie sheet with the dessert in the oven, with the dessert on top of parchment paper to make clean-up easier.

Paper.

A couple inches from intense heat.

This did not end well. The paper did what paper does and burst into flames. I didn’t notice at first until the smoke alarm went off.

Out smoke alarm isn’t one of those battery-powered ones. It’s connected to the security system and for me to say it is ear-splittingly loud does NOT do it justice. It. Is. Deafening. Scared the living hell out of the cat.

So, I was trying to put out the fire and turn off the alarm which, interestingly enough, can’t be done simultaneously. Good lesson. So I grabbed our fire extinguisher and put the fire out, then turned off the alarm and then called our alarm company to tell them not to send the fire department.

Too late.

And, once the call is made to the fire department, you can’t call them back and say “never mind” so two fire trucks, sirens blazing, came up the hill to my place. I met them at the door (I had visions of them breaking down the door to get in and I just didn’t need that.)

I apologized, said they could go but per protocol they had to come in and check things. I was so embarrassed but that’s how I ended up with three firemen in my kitchen.

The moral of the story is – don’t let mishaps slow you down or ruin your enthusiasm.

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Ugly Advice

Watch your oven! The cook times here are “ish” as in “cook for 8 minutes-ish”. I say this because not all ovens are the same. Your oven at 350° may actually run at 340°, while someone else’s may run at 365°. That’s fine – just watch the desserts on the first baking sheet or so to make sure they don’t burn. Then adjust the times so they make sense for you.